Earthquake of magnitude 4.8 strikes Jordan-Syria region

Damascus: A 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck Jordan and Syria late on Monday, according to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), with residents across both countries and in Lebanon feeling its impacts.

The quake was at a depth of 10 km, GFZ said. It had earlier reported the magnitude at 5.46 but revised it down minutes later.

At least 25 people sustained minor to moderate injuries due to stampeding following the earthquake, the Syrian city of Hama's Health Director Maher Younis said early on Tuesday.

Syria's state news agency SANA said it had registered the earthquake's epicentre east Hama.

In Salamiya, a town approximately 30 km east of Hama city, residents rushed out into the dark streets out of fear, said Nasser Duyub, a state employee living there.

“My son was sleeping, I don't know how I grabbed him and got out of the house,” Duyub told Reuters.

Residents said they saw a balcony collapse and ambulances treating people who had fainted.

Others in Syria said they had immediate flashbacks to 2023, when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake killed more than 50,000 - mostly in Turkey but with thousands also perishing in northern Syria. The quake also left widespread destruction in both countries.

“It was the same sound, as if it was coming out of the earth,” said Umm Hamzah, a resident of the Syrian capital Damascus. “I got dizzy just like last time, but the scare was worse because I knew what happened the previous quake”.

The Syrian civil defence operating in the northern opposition-held areas of the war-torn country said they had deployed to several areas to respond to any prospective emergency but had not received reports of any damage thus far.

Residents across Lebanon also felt the quake. Both Lebanon and Syria have been hit by Israeli air strikes over the last 10 months as regional hostilities play out in parallel with the Gaza war, and several residents said they initially thought the quake was an air strike.

Jordan's state news agency reported a 3.9 magnitude aftershock less than an hour after the initial quake.

SOURCE: REUTERS